MLB.com's Greg Johns blogs about the Mariners. You can also follow him on Twitter @gregjohnsmlb.

Iwakuma back with team and ready to start tonight

Mariners right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma, who had gone to Japan to deal with a family situation, rejoined the club over the weekend and will start tonight’s game against the Blue Jays as Seattle goes for its fifth straight win.

This will be Iwakuma’s fifth start since moving into the rotation and he’s still seeking his first win in that role, having gone 0-1 with a 4.29 ERA as a starter. He’s gone five innings in three of those starts and six innings in his longest outing at Tampa and has threw a season-high 95 pitches in his last start against the Yankees.

So presumably the 30-year-old is building up arm strength and should be ready to go a little longer going forward.

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